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I came from Denmark to France. I have Danish health insurance plus I have the EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) from authorities in Denmark which is supposed to cover you overall in EU for your trip.

I went to a physician and she charged me some euros and I purchased some medicines and when I showed them EHIC card they said in France you have to pay the money and then go back and claim the money from your Insurance company.

So where am I supposed to go for a refund? (I have receipts)

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    This might be a travel question, as once you move to France you should be covered by the French, and not by the Danish anymore. In the first few weeks it's best to have the EHIC card in hand though.
    – SztupY ♦
    Mar 24, 2014 at 11:07
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    @SztupY It might depend somewhat on your status, I suspect that ERASMUS students or posted workers could be covered through their EHIC for example. Travel.SE does not seem very keen on questions by people in such situations. There is already an EHIC question there, though.
    – Gala
    Mar 24, 2014 at 12:15
  • If you want an exact address, you will need to specify where you are in France (département/town).
    – Gala
    Mar 24, 2014 at 14:18
  • I am in Saint-Louis, France. If I am staying here for max 3 months, I am a tourist, and can become sick and so in need of a physician. (But right now I am travelling in and out frequentlz until I settle down somewhere)
    – hB0
    Apr 3, 2014 at 14:14

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Succinct information on each EU country is available on the EU's EHIC website and in the apps you can download there. Specifically, in France, you should contact the local CPAM (caisse primaire d'assurance maladie). There is at least one CPAM per département and they generally have offices in all middle-size towns. To look up yours, you can use ameli.fr (enter your postal code in the “Votre caisse” widget on the right-end side) or simply look up “your town + CPAM” or “your département + CPAM” on a web search engine.

At the national level, EU/international insurance agreements are handled by an organization called CLEISS (Centre des liaisons européennes et internationales de sécurité sociale). There is some additional information on their website and you could try to contact them if needed.

Note that with an EHIC you are covered up to the same level than the locals, which means that in France you won't get a full refund. There is a copay (ticket modérateur of €7-8 for a general practitioner visit) and prescription medicines are only refunded partly (typically between 15% and 65% with some additional niceties). Furthermore, a few GP and other physicians are “conventionné secteur 2”, which means they charge more than the national agreed-upon rate. The difference between that rate and what they actually charge isn't covered either (a “non-conventionné” physician is even worse but that's extremely rare, just avoid them – not that you should in any case be informed of the rate and of what the “sécurité sociale” will cover).

I am not sure but I think your insurance in Denmark and/or a private travel insurance might cover the remaining costs. Also, you did not specify what your status was in France or why you needed medical treatment but note that work accidents are handled separately and, if recognized as such, might entitle you to 100% compensation for all medical costs.

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